by Linda Broday
Without a moment’s hesitation, Cooper turned and fired, dropping the man to the dirt.
“Thanks, brother,” Rand yelled over the noise. “Thought he had me.”
Cooper handed him a box of ammunition. “We’ll keep firing until we run out of bullets, and then we’ll use our fists.”
“Damn right.”
The sound of gunfire resonated in the air as the battle intensified. Cooper took shot after shot, sometimes missing but oftentimes hitting the mark. Bodies lay scattered as others limped off into the surrounding woods.
Just when the tide began to turn, the raiders drove a herd of bawling, angry, snot-snorting cows past the barbed wire fence and onto his land.
In the chaos, the outlaws disappeared. Panic gripped him.
Fearing some would slip past and get into the house, Cooper retreated to plant himself in front of the door. He barely reached the shadowed porch when one galloped up and prepared to launch himself off the horse.
Cooper didn’t give him a chance. He reached up and dragged the enemy to the ground.
***
Delta crouched below the window in the dark house. She raised her head and peered out into the darkness and the billowing clouds of dirt the cattle had stirred up. Her heart pounded in her throat as she watched Cooper fight with one of the hooded attackers.
What if he couldn’t best the man? What if the intruder got inside? She had to protect Jenny and Ben.
Looking around the room for a weapon, she spied a thick piece of wood beside the fireplace. She crawled over to it, then returned to her vantage point.
Cooper drove his fist into the man’s stomach. Delta thought that might end things. But it didn’t. The hooded attacker fought back, slamming Cooper against the side of the house so hard it shook the walls. She didn’t know how Cooper could take so much punishment and still come up swinging. But he did, time and time again.
Clapping her hand over her mouth so as not to scream, Delta held back tears and prayed that Cooper wouldn’t be hurt too badly. He had to win.
She recalled the moments earlier on the porch.
The way he’d kissed her.
Touched her bare skin.
And made her feel every inch a desirable woman.
A yearning for more consumed her. It seemed he’d awakened a part of her that she hadn’t known was dead and buried.
And now he was locked in the fight of his life.
A tear slid down her cheek. She brushed it away. The man who could be so tender and rough at the same time, who loved his brothers with all his heart, and who could be so infuriating, would not lose. Too many people depended on him.
She depended on him. Only in that moment did she truly know how very important he’d become.
The chaotic scene taking place beyond the door struck fear in her heart. Cooper, Rand, and Brett, in addition to the ranch cowboys, were engaged in hand-to-hand combat. The ranch, so peaceful and serene a short time ago, had now become a battlefield. She even saw the cook out there in the mix.
Time was measured in frantic heartbeats.
Delta felt movement behind her and turned, ready to do her own fighting. When she saw Jenny and Ben, she relaxed and put down the wood. Keeping low, mother and son stole quietly across the floor.
“I can’t stand it,” Jenny murmured. “What’s happening?”
“It’s hard to tell, but I think we’re winning.”
“Mr. Cooper will whup ’em,” Ben said confidently, bumping her elbow as he crowded close to look out. “He will. You’ll see.”
“I’m praying for that,” Delta said. “Keep your head below the window in case of shooting.”
“This is too dangerous, son.” Jenny took his arm. “We’d better go back upstairs.”
“Aw, Mama. Why do you always treat me like a baby?”
“I don’t mean to, Ben. I just want to keep you safe.”
Then a gunshot rang out and Jenny didn’t have to prod Ben toward the stairs. Delta watched them both disappear from view. She turned back toward the window, praying she wouldn’t see Cooper lying in a pool of blood.
Thankfully, he was on his feet and tying up the attacker he’d fought with. The man’s black hood lay on the ground like a dead vulture. She had to get to Cooper. She had to hug him and feel his rippling muscles beneath her fingers. But she stopped short when she remembered how little she wore. Besides, he’d only get mad if she didn’t stay put as he’d ordered.
Worried about Rand and Brett, she didn’t rest until her searching gaze located them. They both appeared to be uninjured. Relief made her knees weak. The fight seemed to be over. At least for now.
Maybe the hooded attackers had decided they couldn’t win this war they’d brought to Cooper’s doorstep.
But why had they come? Why single out Cooper? She wished she knew the answers.
Closing her eyes, she put her fingers to her lips, remembering the firmness of his mouth. Her hand moved down to her breasts, feeling, savoring. Delta didn’t know why her skin tingled so, why his touch left her craving more.
What was this maddening attraction between Cooper and her? The sweet agony flowing beneath her skin was foreign to her. She only knew she had to have more or surely die from want.
A delicious yearning for something she couldn’t define swept through her. She only knew when she found it, she’d then be complete.
Twenty-five
Cooper grabbed his captive and shoved him onto the porch steps. “I want some answers.”
“There’s a mighty big difference between wantin’ and gettin’,” the man sneered.
“Oh, you’ll tell me what I want to know, all right. The only thing left to determine is how many strips of your hide I’ll have to yank off before your tongue starts working.” He picked up the black hood and the interloper’s rifle. “What’s your name?”
“Pete. Turn me over to the sheriff.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, you’re in no position to give orders.” Cooper pitched Pete’s rifle out of reach and drew out a long knife from a leather sheath at his waist. “Now, where would you like me start? The chest or the back?”
Pete’s eyes widened and he swallowed hard.
“Since you don’t seem to care, I think I’ll take the first strip off your chest. My brother Brett is an Indian and he taught me how. The trick is to get the tip of the knife just under the skin right above the muscle.” Cooper grabbed Pete’s shirt. “You might want to close your eyes and grit your teeth. It’s a little messy. Want to bite down on something?”
“Ain’t no call to do this. What’dya want to know?”
“You work for Tolbert Early?”
“Yep, and he’s gonna kill you, Thorne.”
“Maybe so. Then again, maybe I’ll send him to hell first. Where is he holed up?” Cooper growled.
“He don’t stay nowhere more than a night. Likes to keep movin’.”
“Where did you sleep last?” When Pete hesitated, Cooper laid the knife on the man’s cheek.
“All right. Don’t cut me. Bedded down in an abandoned house over Spring Hill way.” Before Pete finished spilling his guts, he told how Early had hired him and the others to bring sick cows from a ranch farther down the valley and put them on Cooper’s land. Seemed Early wanted to deal utter devastation before the man killed him. At least one mystery solved.
“Where were you supposed to meet up after the raid tonight? Think about your answer very carefully.”
“Early said to meet him at Fire Creek.”
Just a mile away. With luck, they might catch them there.
“Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re gonna draw me a map of every one of the places you holed up.”
“And then you’ll let me go?” Pete looked up hopefully.
“Nope. But I will let you live.”<
br />
Rand, Brett, and Zeke O’Grady rode up with Sheriff Strayhorn. Blood soaked Zeke’s shoulder.
“Looks like you caught one of ’em,” Rand said, dismounting.
“Got lucky,” Cooper answered. “Take charge of Pete here.”
Satisfied that Rand wouldn’t let the prisoner escape, Cooper returned his knife to its sheath and hurried to help Zeke from the saddle. “How bad you hurt?”
“Aw, ain’t nothin’ to make a fuss over. Just a little blood is all. I’ve seen a lot worse pain getting a bee sting.” Zeke tried to shoo him away as though Cooper were a pesky fly.
Delta stepped out onto the porch. She’d exchanged his shirt for her prim and proper dress. His breath caught at the sight of her, and memories of their kisses in the moonlight flooded back. A lady like her deserved more than a few stolen moments. He owed her far more than what he could ever give her. That stark reality didn’t do anything to stop the wanting that wound around his heart like a determined trumpet vine.
“What can I do to help?” she asked. “I see you’re bleeding, Mr. O’Grady. Come into the house and I’ll tend your wound.”
“That’s awful kind, little missy. But I don’t wanna be no trouble. Ain’t nothin’ but a scratch.”
“Get on in the house and let her fix you up, you old cantankerous mule,” Cooper said. “Rand and Brett will help me decide what to do with this weasel.”
“You too, Cooper Thorne,” Delta insisted. “Don’t think I can’t see you’re bleeding.”
“Don’t have time for that right now. Besides, it’s nothing.”
The pretty lady gave a soft huff of frustration. When she and her patient disappeared inside, Cooper asked Brett to get paper and pencil from the house. “Pete here is about to draw us a map of where we might find the den of snakes.”
“What are we gonna do with him?” Brett asked.
“I’ll take custody of the prisoner,” Sheriff Strayhorn spoke up gruffly. “Mind if I put him in your smokehouse for the remainder of the night? It’s the most secure place for now.”
“It’s yours for the using.”
Brett went inside the house for the paper and pencil, returning a few minutes later.
After Pete, much against his will, drew them a map, Cooper jerked him to his feet. “Once we get him settled, we’ll see if we can find and root out Tolbert and his gang.”
“I do like your thinking,” Sheriff Strayhorn said.
“Take the war to Early instead of waiting around for him to come back,” Rand threw in.
“If he’s anywhere around here, we’ll find him.” Brett’s words were softly spoken, but left no doubt that they would succeed before it was all over and done with.
Cooper nodded. There’d be no hiding and waiting. From now on, they’d comb every last inch of Navarro County. Evil would not win over three brothers who were united and an aging sheriff who was as tough as an iron jenny.
Stepping inside the house, Cooper looked for Delta. He found her bandaging Zeke’s shoulder. Though she’d not gotten any sleep, she gave him a smile.
“The bullet passed through without causing much damage. He’ll be fine,” she announced.
“That’s good.”
Zeke jerked his shirt back on. “Could’ve told you so. But you wouldn’t take my word for it. I got sense enough to know when I need fussing over.” The old ranch hand definitely had his nose out of joint.
Cooper sighed. “There’s no harm in getting looked after.”
“Jus’ don’t need mollycoddling.” He squinted up at Cooper. “Where you boys headed? What’s blowing in the wind?”
“The guy I caught said he was supposed to meet up with Early at Fire Creek. He also drew us a map of all the places they’d hidden out. We’re going to try to find the gang.”
Zeke grabbed his hat. “I’m coming.”
“Now, Zeke, I need someone to guard the prisoner and protect the women. I’d take it as a big favor if you’d do that for me.”
“I ain’t liking it, but I’ll do it.” Zeke jammed his hat on and stomped outside.
Cooper took Delta’s hand. “I only have a minute, but I wanted to thank you for those moments on the porch. When I rid this country of Early, you and me have things to talk about.”
“Please don’t say you regret—”
“Shhh.” He laid his fingers on her lips. “I regret many things, but kissing you is not one of them. My life is uncertain and…complicated. I can’t offer you the things you want.”
Removing his fingers from her lips, he kissed her. This time it was hard and full of need. God help him, he couldn’t get enough of her. He buried his hands in her glorious silky hair.
Finally letting her go, he silently cursed himself for always taking but never giving.
He wished…
“Stay away from the smokehouse. Zeke and the boys will keep you safe. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
“When you return, I’ll be here. I’ll wait however long it takes,” Delta whispered.
The quiet promise unraveled what was left of his tightly wound composure. She meant a lot more than this present situation, and he cursed himself.
Rising on tiptoe, she placed her lips on his. “Be careful.”
Unable to answer, Cooper nodded and went to join Brett and Rand without looking back. For if he did, he’d never leave her.
***
Delta put her hands over her swollen lips to stifle a sob. Paralyzing fear at the thought of losing him spread through her chest. It didn’t help any to realize he was the kind of man who would always ride headlong into danger with no fear for his own mortality. She’d simply have to get used to it if he was to be in her life.
Turning, she saw Jenny standing at the foot of the stairs. She’d apparently seen everything. Jenny crossed the room and put her arms around Delta. “It helps to cry,” she said softly.
“I’m so frightened for him. What if this Tolbert Early kills him?”
Jenny smoothed Delta’s hair. “Get that thought out of your head right now. Cooper is too smart and too tough to let that happen. Besides, he has Rand and Brett to help him. They’re pretty amazing men. And there’s none better than Strayhorn.”
“Why does this man want to harm Cooper? If you know, I’d sure like for you to tell me.”
“I’m not sure. Although, I gather from tidbits here and there that it’s something that occurred a long time ago, before they came to Battle Creek. Those brothers don’t talk about their past much.”
She and Cooper had that much in common, it appeared. The only thing a past seemed to be good for was dragging a person down, threatening to destroy whatever scrap of happiness they found. Often, in the dead of night, Delta was jarred from a deep sleep struggling to breathe. It felt as though hands squeezed tightly around her throat, holding her underwater. She wondered if Cooper ever experienced that. Maybe one day she’d ask him—that is, if she ever felt comfortable enough to discuss such things. However, it was about as likely as roping the moon, seeing as how tight-lipped he was talking about his feelings.
“I wonder what happened to them.”
“Only they and the dear Lord know.” Jenny pulled Delta toward the stairs. “Let’s get some sleep, now that the excitement is over. It’s still a while before dawn.”
Delta followed her but not to bed. She gazed out over the ranch from the window in the bedroom. Cooper had insisted she sleep in his room. It had felt strange at first. Now it was the only place she wanted to be.
She turned away from the window to take in Cooper’s furnishings. The huge four-poster bed swallowed her. It had surely been built for a man of his size. The old quilt covering it gave the room a homey feel. A large braided rug covered the wood floor. A tall chest that had seen better days, a bedside table, and a washstand completed her inventory. She could see Cooper h
ere. It fit him.
Keeping her dress on in case of trouble, she lay down on top of the quilt. Cooper’s shirt that she’d worn until the raiders came caught her attention. Grabbing it, she inhaled his fragrance, which still clung to the fabric.
The heat of a thousand fires burned inside, threatening to consume her mind, body, and soul.
Closing her eyes, she remembered every detail of their time together on the porch. The stubble on his jaw. The rumble in his throat and chest right before he kissed her. And the way he’d boldly touched her bare skin had seemed the most natural thing in the world.
Maybe that was the way it should be between two people who needed each other more than they needed to breathe.
Delta suspected what he wanted to discuss with her. He’d most likely warn her again that he wasn’t the marrying kind and that he’d dedicated his life to remaining single.
But that didn’t matter to her. God help her, she’d take him any way she could get him.
Even if he wasn’t perfect.
Even if he made her mad enough to spit sometimes.
Even if he never married her.
Cooper Thorne could be the most maddening, most stubborn, most kissable man who ever lived.
And he’d turned her world upside down.
God help her, she loved him, and that was a fact.
Twenty-six
Cooper and his three-man posse rode hell-for-leather through the darkness of a heavy downpour. He prayed they’d catch Early at Fire Creek.
But if they missed him?
Even though Texas was large, it wasn’t big enough to hide his mangy rear.
Somehow, someway, good would triumph over evil. It had to.
But when they arrived at the creek, they found nothing but a smoldering campfire and a chorus of frogs and katydids.
Brett dismounted for a closer look. “They haven’t been gone long. Maybe ten minutes. Near as I can tell, it looks like about eight or nine of them. Rain has washed away a lot of tracks, though. Be hard to pick up a trail. Where to next?”
“We’ll check out every place Pete marked on the map,” Cooper said, unfolding the paper. “Maybe they’ll go back to one of their old hideouts. Anyone who needs to head back to town, go ahead. Sheriff?”
